WOF 056: Evangelizing Through Social Media

The Internet has produced the most profound shift in communications since the printing press, and many in the Church are using it to spread the Gospel. But how best to do it? How do we share our faith online without succumbing to the toxicity and vitriol that saturate much of the digital world? Bishop Barron discusses these questions today and shares his own advice for becoming an online missionary. A listener asks how he should respond when sharing his faith on Facebook provokes criticism.

Topics Discussed

• 0:18 - Three digital milestones at Word on Fire
• 2:25 - How Bishop Barron got started with new media evangelization
• 5:35 - Most surprising part about YouTube
• 6:44 - Engaging YouTube commenters
• 7:37 - How the Internet is like a “new Areopagus”
• 9:15 - Why Bishop Barron’s online style is effective
• 11:03 - How Bishop Barron handles online vitriol
• 15:32 - Social media’s unique dynamic
• 16:55 - Do we need a theology of new media?
• 21:08 - Bishop Barron’s advice for new media evangelists
• 23:19 - What role should new media play in priestly formation?
• 24:38 - Question from listener: How should we discuss our beliefs on social media?

Bonus Resources

• Videos

• “Theology and the New Media” (Bishop Barron)

• “The Vatican and New Media” (Bishop Barron)

• DVD/Study Program

• CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization

• Articles

• “Surprising Lessons from Ten Million YouTube Views” (Bishop Barron)

• Books

• The Church and New Media (Brandon Vogt, chapter by Bishop Barron)

• Lectures

• “The New Evangelization: The Impact of Social Media” (Bishop Barron)

• “The New Evangelization and the New Media” (Bishop Barron)

• “Against the YouTube Heresies” (Bishop Barron)

• Websites

• Word On Fire (Proclaiming Christ in the Culture)

• Daily Catholic Gospel Reflections (Bishop Barron)